Borderline...
by Siri Hermansen -
Norway
A three-channel sound installation, transmitting one Muslim, one Christian and one Jewish prayer through outdoor speakers. This audio work interweaves the different sonic "surfaces" of voice, melody and language.
Siri Hermansen invites the listener to a sensory experience: the resonant texture of the three prayers provide a moment of introspection and insight into the multifaceted cultural landscape of the Black Sea.
Co-producers: Tromso Kunstforening
Support: Norwegian Arts Council
Duration: 9 minutes, repeated
Culturebase on Siri Hermansen
Outdoor prayer in Norway
It is a Muslim tradition to transmit prayers from the minaret of the Mosque to reach its community. In Norway, Muslim outdoor praying has been the cause of debates touching upon democratic foundations such as freedom of religion and freedom of expression. The practice is now forbidden in Norway.
Practice in Istanbul inspired
The idea was conceived in Istanbul when Siri Hermansen was visiting The Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, during a SEAS date with Dmytro Bogomazov. It was her first visit to Istanbul and she was impressed by the sound of prayers echoing across the city. Borderline was developed in Tromso, the artist's former hometown and reworked in Oslo. The prayers are sung and spoken by the imam of the Blue Mosque, a female protestant Christian priest from Norway and a cantor of the Great Synagogue in Stockholm.
Siri Hermansen
Siri Hermansen is based in Norway and has exhibited internationally, including Moscow, Rome, Paris, Rotterdam and at the Venice Biennale.
Siri Hermansen's work is an ongoing artistic investigation creating a contrast between the immediate visual observation and the conceptual significance of various objects. The integration of everyday objects in her art invites the observer to reflect on social issues such as consumerism, industrialism and politics.
"My work is based on stereotyped images and objects collected from popular culture or from everyday life. I use these objects as tools to investigate and comprehend reality and contrasting cultures. I often choose to work with objects that are already highly charged - objects that carry within them their own history. Through the transformation process I strive to create a parallel reality, which stands in contrast to the apparent perceptions and experiences a reversed self-reflection within the objects, a dialogue between the external, visual aspect of the object and its internal meaning conducted within each object as a whole.
Siri Hermansen
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Photography by John Byford
Date: 25th September - 3rd October 2009
Location: Compass Gardens, Skegness.
FREE
Duration: 9 minutes - repeated on the hour
between 12.00 and 18.00
See Programme for more details.
 SEAS home page |
